#Nutcracker Museum

[treasurechestmemories]

Leavenworth Washington Sleigh Ride Nutcracker Museum Day 3

[bevanne46]

A little history of nutcrackers from the Nutcracker Museum, in Leavenworth, WA

[beingjellybeans]

Experience the fairy-tale town of Leavenworth, Washington: a complete travel guide

Leavenworth is a beautiful small town located in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Known for its Bavarian-style architecture, the town attracts visitors year-round for its charming ambiance, scenic landscapes, and outdoor recreational activities. It is also a testament to the power of community collaboration and creativity, as what was once a town in decline after its logging industry…

[lesbian-salamander]

[tothechaos]

ever since i started doing card tricks people in my life have had. uh. mixed reactions. my mom gets annoyed because she cant figure them out, one of my friends literally walked away from me calling me a freak, and another saw me holding a deck of cards and grinning as he came out of the back room at work and just went "oh god" with a look of abject despair on his face. but i will never stop. because it makes me laugh. also if i can find drunk enough people i dont think i ever have to pay for drinks at a bar again

[marylizabetha]

Ghibli Museum

I got to see, The Day I Bought A Star, in the theatre.

Map of the Museum

I love the Nutcracker so I was so excited to find these post cards. I'm going to frame them and put them out at Christmas.

I also got this sketchbook and kept my guide and movie ticket, plus the cute wrapping paper from the gift shop.

[arthistoryanimalia]

#FindsFriday: a squirrel-shaped nutcracker (ha!) & rabbit-shaped chocolate mold, found hiding behind doors in little cubby-holes of the “Animals on the Loose: A Mercer Menagerie” children’s room at Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle. Cute! Late 19th-early 20th c.?

[highflyartist]

When I was a kid, my parents owned a playstation 1, and we had a limited amount of games. The one game I'd play was the Namco Museum VOL. 1

In the game, there was Pac-Man, Pole Position, Rally-X and my favorite, Toypop. I loved it to death. The characters were cute, the gameplay was interesting and the music reminded me of Christmas.

I was able to boot up my PS1 again & I played it again.

I loved it so much that I went out of my way to draw Saragona & Marie in the roles of Pino & Acha.

ToyPop, you won my heart and my memories.

--

Timelapse

Music used in Timelapse: Toypop - Main BGM.

[shinyzango]

I've been looking through google to answer an ask , and suddenly, randomly, I discover this one random article from 2015.

WHERE WERE YOU MY WHOLE LIFE???

I was already aware of the exhibition, but I've never seen so many photos and content about it!

Just, GAAAAA I WANT TO SEE IT MYSELF SO BAD WHY DID IT HAD TO BE A LIMITED TIME EXHIBITION AT THE GHIBLI MUSEUM 😭

[girlbloggercher]

daily december activities

you can stop at day 25, but some people stay in the xmas spirit for the whole month. it all depends on you!

day 1: go see the nutcracker (or you can watch it on youtube!)

day 2: decorate a gingerbread house

day 3: create a christmas playlist and play it while cleaning

day 4: plan a secret santa with your friends (or you can give gifts spontaneously)

day 5: watch vlogmas videos on youtube

day 6: have some hot cocoa!

day 7: watch a christmas film or rewatch a christmas episode of your favorite show

day 8: have a spa day!

day 9: do some baking with your family

day 10: plan out your new years resolutions if you haven't already

day 11: do something that makes you feel like a kid again

day 12: read a book, it doesn't have to be winter themed

day 13: watch victoria's secret christmas shows

day 14: go shopping for winter clothes

day 15: take a nice, warm bath

day 16: get out your journal and write about the best christmas gift you've ever received and why

day 17: make a vision board for the new year

day 18: wear christmas pajamas

day 19: perform an act of kindness

day 20: attend a christmas event

day 21: write christmas cards

day 22: play a video game

day 23: drive around and look at everyone's decorations!

day 24: go caroling

day 25: you can't spell 'christmas' without 'Christ', so do a bible study!

day 26: donate anything you don't need anymore

day 27: drink eggnog

day 28: go to a museum

day 29: move your body

day 30: take a photo of all your christmas gifts

day 31: do whatever you want!

[princelylove]

How many yanderes do you think are interested in the performance arts? Ballet, opera, etc? What about fine arts, would they like going to museums? Not many in jojo! It's different when it's your interest, though.

It can be a reward when you're good. Or a punishment, if you aren't interested in sitting through a three hour performance in a language you don't speak.

Josuke's pretty interested in rich people's hobbies, I'm sure he'd love to indulge you. He gets all giddy the day of- does he look like he belongs here? He's smiling too much to be a regular, and he got you both a booth seat with a partially obstructed view, but you're here! You're on a fancy date with him! Post his arm on your story.

Pannacotta can't say he's fond of the 'fine' arts. He didn't like them in his childhood, and he doesn't like them now. Beg as much as you want, he's not taking you there. Why can't you be interested in something that doesn't remind him of his childhood? He'd let you do an actual sport before he'd let you go see the nutcracker, but a museum would be fine.

God, spare Joseph. Truly, have mercy. He doesn't have the attention span. He'd start bugging you five minutes in. Why on Earth would you play footsie with someone while someone's dying on stage, and whine when they obviously don't pay attention to you? Joseph doesn't care about acting out in public, he'll hang onto you the entire time you attempt to peruse the gallery. Don't ignore him, or he'll get LOUD.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I wish the Wales wouldn’t react to the internet.

After that photo scandal, so many articles, real or fake, discussing their state of mind with Rebecca English leading the charge.

Then this morning, a sanctioned article about Kate being spotted at Windsor Farm shop.

Internet/ media response: pics or we don’t believe you

This afternoon: a sanctioned pap pic of the Wales at said farm shop!!!

Internet response: that’s not Kate…..ugh. William knows that once you give an inch, the media/ Internet takes a mile.

I wish he’d never responded to the internet in the first place or to just let it be following Kate’s apology because clearly the internet/ media is a ravenous beast that will never, ever be satisfied. 

*******************

I disagree.

I haven’t followed it too closely but this doesn’t strike me as William and Kate reacting to the internet. They’re just living their normal lives and it’s the people around them who are talking to the media. Possibly they feel protective of one of their own being so targeted and harassed.

The general public talking to the media about William and Kate or leaking where they are/sold their pictures of them has happened before. Some of those instances:

When William, Kate, and the kids had a pub lunch picnic.

When Kate was stuck in traffic on a bridge, she and Louis stepped out of the car to look at the bridge traffic. 

When Kate was grocery shopping.

When Kate chaperones field trips or takes the kids to museums.

When Kate took George and Charlotte shopping.

When Kate took Charlotte to The Nutcracker.

When William and Kate went to a school sports thing for the kids and a fellow parent took their picture (Kate was wearing flared jeans that were wet - I can’t find the picture anymore).

When William has gone to George’s football games and took pictures with the kids.

So because this is not an isolated incident of them being spotted within their community and pictures/video leaking out, I don’t see it as a strategic response to the internet or to the media.

It is strategic in the sense that after about a month of wildly intense speculation, there’s finally “evidence” of Kate being out, about, and around in her community, but it’s not like she’s come out of hiding. She’s been doing stuff around her home in her community. It’s just the first time there were paparazzi there that caught her, which suggests more “fox in the hen house” than a papwalk - someone in the community blabbed (which has happened before) and/or the paps knew that Kate would resurface somewhere so all they had to do was wait and bide their time.

Maybe that makes me a chump. I don’t really care. William and Kate have never done this kind of papwalk before. I find it very hard to think they’d start doing it now, especially when you consider all the other controversies they’ve gotten embroiled in and how easily they could’ve redirected the media with a papwalk. 

[somethingsteff]

Fic Masterlist

All my stories are currently Obikin.

Bonus Spotify Obikin playlist 🎶

Complete:

You Can Leave Your Boots On - Anakin has been having a stressful week, so Obi-Wan takes it upon himself to give him the perfect surprise featuring his slutty boots and some new lingerie. (Rated E)

Dad's Got a Date with a Vampire - After playing a popular video game, Luke starts to question his dad's new boyfriend. He's so pale compared to the Skywalker family, and do people really have a garlic allergy? (Rated G)

SubSpace: An Adult Experience - Anakin was mortified. He wanted to turn and run. He wanted a black hole to spontaneously form around him and suck him into oblivion. If Obi-Wan didn’t look so pleased he would go back to the hotel they were staying in and try to salvage something of his night and dignity. As it was, Anakin hadn’t seen Obi-Wan smile this much in a very long time.

Anakin tries to plan a fun night out for himself and Obi-Wan, but a few things get lost in translation. Instead, he finds himself pretending to pay attention to a museum lecture. Thankfully Obi-Wan knows just how to salvage the night for his boy. (Rated E)

WIPs:

It Takes A Village - When his best friend suddenly dies, Obi-Wan finds himself the guardian of his infant godson, Korkie. He's lucky to have his father, Qui-Gon, and younger sister, Padme, to help him, but he finds himself getting the most help from Padme's best friend Anakin. A sort of 3 Men and a Baby AU with Obikin slow burn. (Rated E)

ITAV Snippet 1, ITAV Snippet 2, ITAV Snippet 3, ITAV Snippet 4

Beta Readers Need Not Apply - Based off of this post. As a teenager, Anakin gets into reading and writing Star Wars fanfiction and finds one author in particular, Obi-Wan, whose work he loves. When Obi-Wan starts leaving constructive criticism on Anakin's stories, Anakin gets disheartened and leaves the community. Years later they meet again under different screen names and develop a flirtationship. Once their history comes to light, Obi-Wan spends the rest of the evening apologizing to Anakin. (Rated E)

Careful, I Bite - Anakin and Obi-Wan are roommates who enjoy hanging out together over video games - Anakin plays and Obi-Wan watches. In an attempt to increase Obi-Wan's interest in his newest game, Baulder's Gate 3, Anakin makes Obi-Wan as a character and lets him make all the dialogue decisions. When it's time to choose a companion to seduce Obi-Wan selects Asterion and during the first sex scene they realize that their feelings aren't as one-sided as they both previously thought. (Rated E)

Tandom Suns - After a week of nightmares depicting Shmi's death, Anakin finally confides in Obi-Wan what he's been seeing. Instead of dismissing him, Obi-Wan asks Quinlan, currently on Tatooine, to check in on her. After poking around Quin saves Shmi from the Sand People and returns her to her husband. After finding out the good news, Obi-Wan arranges for a two-week meditation retreat and surprises Anakin by taking him to see Shmi. While they visit they come to realize that their relationship surpassed that of simply Master/Padawan years ago (with some meddling help from Shmi). (Rated E)

Nutcracker AU (Unnamed) - At a Christmas party Obi-Wan receives a beautiful, handcrafted Nutcracker from his secret Santa, Anakin. Later on in the evening, a drunk Quinlan accidentally knocks the Nutcracker off a table, breaking it. Anakin reassures a distraught Obi-Wan that he can fix the Nutcracker and they arrange for Obi-Wan to come over to Anakin's apartment after the holidays so he can work on it. They realize that they've both been appreciating each other from afar at parties and decide to do something about it. (Rated T, I think)

Nutcracker rambles, Nutcracker Q&A, Nutcracker Trick or Treat snippet

Smash - Anakin is playing Smash or Pass with Ahsoka and Padme when Obi-Wan calls. Without thinking he responds "smash" to Obi-Wan’s holo projection, effectively admitting to everyone his feelings for the man. Smut ensues while Ahsoka tries not to think of her dads getting it on. (Rated E)

Smash rambles, Smash snippet

Be My (Volunteer) Partner? - Obi-Wan accidentally calls Anakin thinking he signed up to volunteer at the fire department. Even though he had no intention or inclination to do so, Anakin ends up volunteering just to be around Obi-Wan. (Rating unknown)

Volunteer snippet

Long Way Round AU - Obi-Wan and Quin go on an epic, round-the-world motorcycle trip with up and coming filmmaker Ahsoka and motorcycle mechanic Anakin. Their trip follows the path and story set out in Long Way Round, but with Ahsoka and Quin acting as wingmen the entire way. (Rated E)

Unformed thoughts:

Cloni-Wan AU where the Kaminoans make an Obi-Wan clone (designation JM-081) without his knowledge (or consent) and he eventually finds himself in the care of Obi-Wan and Anakin (established relationship) at the Temple. Anakin is thrilled and it doesn't take long for the three of them to enter into a throuple. (Rated E)

Bowling AU where Obi-Wan and Anakin are on opposing bowling teams in a league and after each game they find themselves in a secluded corner of the bowling alley going at it. Hondo is the owner of the bowling alley and, because he thinks he and Obi-Wan are best friends, Obi-Wan has his own set of keys for his late-night activities. (Rated E)

Modern professor/student au (inspired here) where Anakin tries to seduce his Lit professor (Obi-Wan) but Obi-Wan tells him to study instead. After graduation Obi-Wan finds Anakin to tell him what a good boy he was to study and that he's earned a reward. (Rated E)

[seven-stars-in-his-palm]

okay. take two. it’s only been three days, but this post has come into fruition. i present to you:

the nutcracker, op. 71, act II: no. 13, waltz of the flowers

(or: aziraphale finds a music box that only plays waltz of the flowers by tchaikovsky after hypothetical season 3 and is Emotional about it !)

2k words, rated G, and warnings for mild depictions of aftermath of trauma + sensory deprevation. betaed by hapax :]

the reason why i chose this picture is because my music box has this painting on it. its called “vase of flowers” by van huysum. anyways MMMM i cant believe it only took me like two days to fully finish this my god. there is no plot, no worthwhile summary, only music box and softness. and thanks to everyone who interacted with that post bc i wouldn’t have done it without your interaction lol (and my beta, who gave a lot of good suggestions to make it better). here’s the ao3 link again if you missed it, and THANKS AGAIN!!!!!

taglist + visuals of my own box below ! i’d have done sounds of my box but i don’t have the effort to do a video right now, gonna be recording that later

okay tag list. its just everyone who explicitly expressed interest in this fic, so if you said something, sorry but you’re the reason why i’m here so you’re here now. the following: @crowleyholmes @crowleys-bentley-and-plants @ghostsparrow @crowleys-curl @frappe-the-peppermint hi :)

and as for backstory behind the box…. i got it in a museum gift shop! it’s pretty simple looking on the outside, boxed in cardboard so its not nearly as ornate as aziraphale’s is, but it plays the same notes in the same way. here are some visuals:

and for aziraphale’s box in the fic…. here’s a surprise. a crappy drawing of my vision!

i hope that opens some nice visuals for you. i thought about it wayyyy too much. if you’re still here, thanks for making it this far, and happy time zone!!

[shakespearefreak]

So I know it's summer, just about as far from December as we can get, but I'm too excited about my new acquisition to wait! I've been looking for the November/December 1993 issue of American Girl Magazine for a couple years now. I found one on Mercari a while back and added it to my Liked items, but it was $25, and I just couldn't quite justify spending that amount on a magazine, no matter how old it was or how many fond memories I had of it. Anyways, I got an offer from the seller for $16.37 a few days ago and decided to pull the trigger.

It was pouring rain on and off all day today, and I wasn't able to check the mail right away when I got the notification that it had been delivered. I live in an apartment building, and the front door is locked, so delivery drivers usually just leave packages outside. I was so anxious, picturing a cardboard envelope sitting there for hours, getting soaked and ruining the contents. But when I finally checked the mail, I discovered the seller had sent it in a watertight, plastic bubble mailer! The package had some mud and water on the outside, but the magazine itself was absolutely perfect. I got the newest AG catalog in my mailbox today, too, and I compared the two... the 30-year-old magazine was as bright and crisp as the brand-new catalog!

Anyways, I (very carefully) paged through it right away, rediscovering my old favorite articles and stories that I'd read and re-read so many times as a kid, my original magazine had fallen apart: an article on the Colleen Moore's incredible miniature fairy castle at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry (which I later got to see myself in person!); Samantha's short story "The Mystery of the Black Pearls," in which Nellie (pre-adoption) is accused of stealing a valuable necklace from her employer; an article about the Nutcracker Ballet, its young stars, and behind-the-scenes special effects magic that had me dancing around my house, dreaming of playing Clara like the article's subjects (who were just a little older than me!); and Hans Christian Anderson's lovely but tragic tale "The Little Match Girl," with gorgeous illustrations by Rachel Isadora (it never occurred to me until today how strange it was to include a story about a little girl freezing to death in a magazine for little girls)... I was surprised to feel tears prick my eyes as I went through. Anyway, I'm SO HAPPY, it was worth every penny. Now I just need to buy a clear display envelope to put it in so it stays as beautiful as it is now! 💖

[nebula-lad]

Dancers in the Rotunda

Hello, happy February Fanfest Day! For this year's @jatpfebfanfest, my giftee is... @lyxchen! I hope you like the fic and art I made, and I hope anyone else who reads this enjoys it at well.

Read it on ao3

“Willie, I know you like breaking the rules, but this feels a bit much…” Alex says quietly, worried he’ll get caught if he’s too loud. 

Willie had decided to invite Alex to another hangout (definitely not a date, why would Willie want to go on a date with him) to boost their spirits amidst all the chaos of Caleb possessing Nick and the boys being almost-but-not-quite-alive. But he’d failed to mention that they were once again breaking into a museum, but this time in the dead of night, making Alex feel like he was accidentally going to rob the place, and be caught by James Bond or some crazy character like that.

Willie’s chuckle brings Alex out of his thoughts. “Relax, Hotdog. It’s not like anyone can tell us what to do. Not here, anyway.” He grins, grabbing Alex’s hand and pulling him along.

The two ghosts stop their wandering in the hall of artworks made by 19th century artists. They look around in awe at the art, fascinated by the glimpse of the distant past they were given. Alex finds himself drawn to a particular painting, lost in the scene as he stares at the ballet dancers within it.

“‘Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opéra’?” Willie asks, reading the plaque next to the painting, then standing next to Alex. “I didn’t know you were into Degas.” He smiles, playfully knocking into him.

Alex huffs out a laugh. “Didn’t know that’s who this was by. I just felt drawn to it. Like I was in the scene for a bit.”

He nods. “What about it draws you in?”

“The dancers.” He explains. “I want to be with them. When I was younger I wanted to be a ballet dancer, and I read up on everything I could about the subject. I used up my allowance before saving for my drums to pay for records of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and all those famous ballets so I could memorize them and their stories. I wanted to be that so bad…”

“But… you ended up in a rock band filled with rebels instead?”

Alex sighs quietly. “Yeah. My mother and father… They didn’t appreciate my passion for feminine stuff like that to say the least, and wouldn’t let me get lessons. But what I did have access to was music class at school and very determined friends.” He chuckles. “I became a rebel by proxy.”

“Nah, there’s no ‘by proxy’ with that sort of stuff.” Willie laughs as well, then looks at the painting quietly for a moment. “I’m sure you’d be a great ballet dancer, by the way. You’d look stunning up on stage.”

“I- What?” He looks over at the ghost by his side, only to find a soft smile and a genuine shine in his eyes.

“I said you’d look stunning.” He says casually, looking over at Alex. “I’ve never been to a ballet, but I’d go to one if you were in it.”

Alex stares at Willie in shock, trying to figure out if this whole situation is a dream. He never imagined being flirted with by a guy about his childish dream of being a dancer. All the times he’s admitted this to others, it had been met with teasing or denying. Not flirting, and definitely not flirting from a very cute guy who’s also a dancer (even if the dancing was maybe against his will).

Willie watches the light blush form on Alex’s face as he processes the compliment with an amused smile, and goes back to looking at the painting. Now that Alex has told his story, Willie sees the painting in a new light. He can imagine one of the dancers being Alex, golden hair glowing softly in the dimly lit studio as he practices his twirls and leaps and all those ballet moves that had strange French names Willie could barely pronounce. It seemed like a thing that was made for Alex, like playing the drums or wearing pink or being cute and funny and just the greatest. He looks back at the boy in question and smiles softly again. Maybe now…? “Hey, Hotdog-?”

Alex shushes him quickly, and in the silence he hears the footsteps of the night guard coming over to their hallway. Alex’s eyes widen in a panic, adrenaline coursing through him as he grabs the other ghost’s hand and pulls them towards a small alcove, hidden from the view of the guard. He takes a minute to catch his breath, then looks at Willie to find that he’s staring at him with the ever-present shine of amusement in his eyes, and maybe the shine of something else glistening there too.

Alex glances around his face, taking in all of his features as the guard's footsteps get closer and louder, or maybe that’s his phantom heartbeat getting loud as his gaze settles on Willie’s lips for a moment before looking back at his eyes. Willie’s hand that’s not gripping Alex’s own settles on the shoulder of his pink sweatshirt, feeling the other’s hand lightly touch his cheek. 

Next thing Willie knows, Alex leans forward and softly pecks his lips. It’s only a moment, but it’s enough to steal both their breaths away. Their phantom heartbeats grow louder once again as they let go of the other’s hand and pull each other into a much more passionate kiss.

Alex feels euphoric. Not only has tossing his anxiety away led to something good this time (instead of, y’know, death), but he’s now kissing his crush and the prettiest guy he’s ever seen, and this guy is kissing him back. He definitely feels like he’s dreaming now, with Willie clutching his sweatshirt hood to try and pull him impossibly closer and his hands running through Willie’s hair.

Eventually, though, Alex comes up for air he doesn’t necessarily need but doesn’t want to go without, and the two boys knock their foreheads together, sounds of breathing filling the silence. They look into the other’s eyes for a minute before Willie lets out a soft laugh. “I think the guard’s gone.”

It’s quiet again before they both burst out laughing, realizing the ridiculousness of this whole situation.

“Oh my gosh, we kissed for so long the guard’s gone.”

“Dude, you hid us away from a lifer that can’t see us.”

“I did? My anxiety really got the better of me…”

“It led to better things, though.” Willie grins at the other ghost.

Alex flushes, and covers his face with his hands to hide it. “Willie…” He whines, realizing that that whole thing really did happen. His eyes widen. “Oh gosh, wait, was that ok? Like, were you ok with that? It’s ok if you weren’t-“

Willie cuts him off with a soft peck and smiles. “It’s totally ok, Alex. I promise.”

Alex nods the tiniest bit, then after a beat throws his arms around Willie in a tight, comforting hug. Willie lets out a surprised noise, then grins and hugs him back.

They stay like this for who knows how long, neither wanting to let go until they had to. Alex lets go first, and sighs quietly. “Um, I should go. The guys are probably worried about me, and I’m sure you have things to do. So…”

Willie blinks. Oh, right, he works at a club of ghosts run by the worst guy ever. He doesn’t get to spend all his time with his- uh… “Can I call you my boyfriend?” He blurts out, not even thinking about the sentence before it’s out in the open. He feels his face flush now.

Luckily, Alex laughs a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.” He says, giving his now boyfriend a warm smile.

Said boyfriend grins, and gives him another peck. “Alright, go. Your band probably misses you.”

Alex nods and poofs out of the 19th century wing of the art museum, leaving Willie alone with the 200 year old paintings of landscapes, people, and a particular one that holds a trope of ballerinas practicing for their latest show. He looks at the painting once more, and smiles softly. “Catch you later, Hotdog.” He whispers before poofing out as well.

~~~

When Alex suddenly appears in the middle of the garage, Reggie lets out a sigh of relief as Luke angrily pouts on his couch. “Holy crap, there you are! We were worried about you!” Reggie says, hugging his friend.

”Woah, was I really gone for that long?” Alex asks, patting Reggie’s shoulder as he looks to Luke.

”Yes.” Luke grumbles. “You left in the middle of movie night, without telling us, and then showed back up after the movie ended! We were in the middle of Jurassic Park!”

”Luke, dude, we’ve seen Jurassic Park a billion times, no thanks to you. It’s not like I was missing anything in the movie.” He sighs. “I’m sorry for not saying something, though. I just thought you guys would make fun of me…”

”Why would we do that? We’re your friends!” Reggie frowns up at him.

”Yeah, like you haven’t done it before.”

”Where did you go?” Luke asks.

Alex frowns slightly, trying to figure out how to explain what happened. As he thinks, he feels his cheeks flush and he looks down at the floor to hide it. “I… I went on a date with Willie.” He mumbles.

Luke goes slack-jawed as Reggie squeals with delight. “You ditched movie night to be with him?!” Luke stands up, bouncing around from either annoyance or joy, Alex couldn’t tell.

”It’s a completely valid reason to ditch!” Reggie says. “Besides, you’d probably ditch if you had the chance to go hang out with Julie. You’re no better than Alex is.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but he quickly closes it, knowing the bassist is right. Reggie then turns to Alex again, an excited smile on his face. “So, do we get the deets? Did you guys scream in a museum again?”

”Uhhh…” The drummer squeaks, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Well, we did go to a museum again, but no screaming. We talked about the paintings and what we liked and…” Alex trails off, his face flushing red again. “I might’ve kissed him.” He mutters under his breath.

The two boys cheer like they just got their best gig yet. “Finally! Alex, we’re so happy for you.” Luke grins, going over and jumping up to try and wrap his arm around the taller boy’s shoulder, with Reggie nodding along.

”Thanks guys.” Alex smiles a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed still but also relieved that his friends were excited for him.

Reggie gasps. “We should go tell Julie, and Ray and Carlos! They’ll be super happy for you too!”

”Ah, maybe we should wait until it isn’t, like, two in the morning to go and tell them.” He suggests.

”Ohh… Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Luke chuckles. “We should still celebrate. Alex, what do you wanna do?”

The drummer thinks for a minute. “Well, it sounds like I owe you guys a movie. We could watch whatever you guys want to choose.”

”Nope, no no no.” Reggie interjects. “This is your celebration, you get to choose. That’s the rule.”

”Oh.” He mumbles. He didn’t usually choose the movies the three of them would watch. It wasn’t like he didn’t have favorites, he definitely did. He was just worried that the guys wouldn’t like what he chose, or that they’d just make fun of his taste. But… if letting go of his anxiety can lead to a date with his crush and getting to call his crush his boyfriend, then he could choose a movie he loves and not worry about what his friends think. “Let’s watch The Princess Bride, then.” Alex says.

After agreeing, the three boys sit down on Luke’s couch while Reggie turns the movie on. Alex pretends not to notice when his band mates get highly invested and find that they can’t peel their eyes off the screen. He also pretends not to notice the next morning when Julie comes into the garage, telling the three of them to wake up, that Luke replies with ‘as you wish’. He also notices a certain long-haired skater boy come into the garage during band practice, but this time he doesn’t pretend not to. He instead decides to make it everyone’s problem as he poofs over and kisses his boyfriend, thanking him for the night before.